US Army 8-Inch Rodman in Rochelle, Illinois
US Army 8-Inch Rodman, Fort Pitt Number 25, in Rochelle, Illinois
Many thanks to friend-of-the-page Mike Clennon for taking these photos and sharing them with us!
A US Army 8-Inch Rodman Gun, Pattern 1861, is displayed outside the old city hall and current Flagg Township Museum in Rochelle, Illinois. It was cast at Fort Pitt Foundry in 1863 and is registry number 25. As manufactured it weighed 8,445 pounds.
The 8-Inch Rodman is a cast iron, smooth bore cannon typically used to arm seacoast fortifications. It was designed by Thomas J. Rodman, a US Army officer, and entered service in 1861. It could fire an approximately 64-pound solid shot or 50-pound explosive shell. Rodman designed his guns to be strong - the casting is thickest at the breech before tapering. Rodman’s design also eliminated the older style cascabel for a “mushroom knob” breech which allowed a rope to be slung around the breech to aid in lifting the piece. The 8-Inch Rodman was the smallest of a series of similar guns cast for the US Army. 10-Inch and massive 15-Inch Rodmans also served in significant numbers.
8-Inch Rodman Number 25 was presented to the people of Flagg Township by Grand Army of the Republic Post 546 at a ceremony held on October 10th, 1899. The cannon had been shipped from Fortress Monroe to Rochelle in 1898. According to a research paper held by the museum, the cannon was originally displayed alongside twenty 10-inch cannon balls stacked in a pyramid. During the Second World War, the cannon balls were donated to a scrap drive but the 8-Inch Rodman was retained.
Two 8-Inch Rodmans and a 15-Inch Rodman mounted on original carriages displayed at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland
US Army 8-Inch Rodman, Fort Pitt Number 25, in Rochelle, Illinois
US Army 8-Inch Rodman, Fort Pitt Number 25, in Rochelle, Illinois
US Army 8-Inch Rodman, Fort Pitt Number 25, in Rochelle, Illinois
US Army 8-Inch Rodman, Fort Pitt Number 25, in Rochelle, Illinois
